Buffing wheel



April 10, 1951 c. F. SCHLEGEL BUF'FING WHEEL 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 17, 1947 4/ Hill lliill 9.9 17

. INVENTOR. krlmafiZggel BY M M f A April 10, 1951 c. F. SCHLEGEL BUFFING WHEEL 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 17 1947 INVENTOR.

7 jfzorzzcgy Patented Apr. 10, 1951 UNITED- STATES PIENT OFFICE BUFFIN G WHEEL Carl F. Schlcgel, Brighton, N. Y., assigndr to, The Sclilegel Manufacturing Company, Rochester,

N. Y.,"a corporation of New York Application October 17, 1947, Serial No. 780,468

2 Claims. (01. 51-193) Another object of the invention is the provision of a bufiing or polishing wheel of the type in which the working surface of; the wheel is made up of strands or filaments extending radially of the wheel, in which the relation of the strands or filaments to each other is such as to give greatly improved results as compared with prior wheels. having radial strands or filaments.

Another object is, the provision of a wheel of the radial strand or filament type which is easy and inexpensive to manufacture and sturdy in use, and which has a relatively long life.

A further object of the invention is the provision of, a bufiing or polishing wheel of the radial strand or filament type, in which the strands or filaments are intertwined or interwoven with each other in such a manner that the wheel is considerably more rigid and has considerably more body or firmness than has been possible in previous radial strand wheels of the same size.

These and other desirable objects are accomplished by the construction disclosed as an illustrative embodiment of the invention in the following description and in the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, in which:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic face view of a bufiing wheel or polishing wheel in accordance with a preferred embodiment of thepresent invention;

Fig. 2 is a cross section taken centrally through the same;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged diagrammatic face View of the wheel shown in Figs. 1 and 2, illustrating the intertwining or weaving of the strands or filaments in greater detail;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 showing an alternative form of weave;

Fig. 5 is a cross section taken substantially on the line 5 5 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a cross section taken substantially on the line 6--5 of Fig. 4;

Fig. '7 is a cross section taken substantially on the line 1-! of Fig. i, and

Fig. 8 is a cross section taken substantially on the line 8-8 of Fig. l.

The same reference numerals throughout the several views indicate the same parts.

As a good illustration of the prior forms of bufiing and polishing wheels of the radial strand type, reference is made to United States Patent 1,504,272 granted August 12. 192 for an invention of Charles P. Schlegel. The construction shown in said patent, although representing an advance over the constructions which had preceded it, has proven by experience to be not wholly satisfactory, partly becausfl, it has been difiicult and expensive to weave, and partly because it has been a relatively soft and fieigible weave which has resulted in a wheel which has been undesirably flabby and flexible unless built up to an undesirably great thickness and'weight. As contrasted with the weave shown in said prior patent, the construction disclosed in the present application can be manufactured or'woveh'relatively easily and. inexpensively, and results in'a firm weave having more body or stiffness than the weave of said prior patent, whereby a huiiing wheel or polishing wheel havin a given stiffness can be made with a minimum number of layers of the fabric. The new weave here disclosed, other words, has greater body or density and greater stiffness than that shown in said'prior patent, and also runs cooler, than said prior weave, having less tendency to catch on fire "duir ing operation. f Referring now to the preferred'form of {3011-1 struction as shown in Figs. 1, 2-, and 3, the buffing wheel or polishing wheel comprises in general a fabric strip Ilof arcuate shape, wound upon it-,'

self with the different layers in overlying relation to each other in helical fashion, with as many convolutions or turns as may be necessary to build up the required thickness of material.

,The outer arcuate edge l3 forms the working surface of the Wheel, and is of any diameter desired. The inner arcuate edge of the strip is indicated at l5, and may, if desired, have, the same radius as that of the arbor hole [1, but in order to economize on the amount of fabric inaterial employed, it is usually advisable to make the radius of the inner edge I5 substantially larger than the radius of thearbor hole ii, and to place a circular filler disk or block it of fiber: ard, chipboa 9 7 t e lik in t e spa e inside. the d f h fa ric n hat even the filler it is provided with the arbor hole I] at its cen; rpai o this d s f nvas r t e like lie on mws traces o h fi ler block it and overlap the inner margi nal edge of the iabric strip ll, as seen in Fig. 2 and are sewn to the filler block I 9 and to the fabric strip 'l'i by spiral stitching 23 or the like, which spiral stitching is continued outwardly beyond the disks '2! throughout most of the radial width of the fabric it (unless a relatively loose buff is desired) and serves to hold the diiferent layers of the fabric H in cooperative relation to each other as well as holding the fabric layers to the disks El and thereby holding them in cooperative relation to the filler block l9. If a loose buff is wanted, only a few of the innermost spiral convolutions of stitches 23 are used, the outer ones being omitted, so that the layers of fabric are stitched together only near their inner edges and are elsewhere not held tightly to each other.

As already stated, the body of the wheel 15 made up of one long arcuate strip of fabric, helically wound to provide any desired number of superimposed convolutions, three layers or convolutions being illustrated in Fig. -2 as a convenient example. The fabric strip H itself consists of weft strands or filaments extending radially, and a series of groups of warp strands which extend arcuately, concentric with each other and with the center of the finished wheel, the different groups of warp strands being spaced from each other in a radial direction. The number of groups of warp strands may be varied according to the diameter of the wheel and other factors. In the preferred construction shown in Figs. 1 and 3 as a typical example, five groups of warp strands are indicated, the innermost group of warp strands forming a selvage edge at the inner edge of the fabric being indicated in general by the numeral 3 I, the next group of warp strands spaced radially outwardly therefrom being indicated by the numeral 32, and the other groups of warp strands, successively outwardly in a radial direction, being indicated by the numerals 33, 34, and 35. In the practical weaving of the fabric, there is usually still another group of warp strands initially forming a selvage edge at the outer edge of the arcuate strip when it is initially woven, and then the weft strands are trimmed off or out just inside of this outermost group of warp strands, so that this outer group of warp strands is not shown in the present drawings, which drawings are intended to illustrate the final wheel after the trimming operation takes place. In each group of warp strands, some of the strands go over certain weft strands while other warp strands go under those same weft strands, so that the warp strands are divided, as usual, into sheds through which the weft strands extend.

Through each single shed of the warp strands there are, in the preferred weave, a plurality of weft strands of various different lengths, some extending all the way from the outer edge to the inner edge of the wheel, others extending from the outer edge inwardly only as far as the warp strands 32, others coming only in as far as the warp strands 33, and others coming only as far as the warp strands 34. This is well illustrated in the enlarged diagrammatic view, Fig. 3. The space between the radial line a and the radial line b in Fig. 3 represents one shed through all of the different warp strands, while the space between the radial line b and the radial line represents the next adjacent shed through all of the warp strands. The weft strands ll, .2, and 43, for example, are of full length (that is, they extend throughout the entire radial width of the strip of fabric) and are looped around the warp strands 3| to form a selvage edge, and then extend radially outwardly through the next shed to the left. Other full length weft strands A l, 45, and 46 also extend through the shed (1-1) and are looped around the weft strands 3! to form a selvage edge, thence extending outwardly t h the next shed to the right (that lathe shed bc) being there designated by the numerals 5|, 52, and 53.

These main radial weft strands 4! through 53, inclusive, although tightly compacted in the immediate vicinity of the inner warp strands 3| at the inner selvage edge of the material, will be progressively looser, of course, at points progressively farther outwardly toward the outer edge of the material, because of the arcuate shape of the material and the diverging nature of the radii of an arc, unless additional strands be in-- troduced to take care of the greater length of the outer edge of the material as compared with the inner edge of the material. One way of introducing such additional strands is disclosed in said United States Patent 1,504,272, but, as already mentioned, this results in a rather flabby construction, not having the firmness and body which is desirable in a buffing wheel or polishing wheel of this kind. According to the present invention in its preferred form, the novel way of introducing th necessary additional strands iswell indicated in Fig. 3 of the drawings, and thisnovel construction results, as previously stated, in a wheel having much greater firmness and body than the wheel shown in said prior patent.- In the preferred form, each looped pair of shorter strands is embraced between a looped pair of longer strands, as indicated in Fig. 3. For example, the strands El and 82 constitute parts of a single strand extending from the outer edge of the material inwardly as far as the warp strands 34 and being looped around the warp strands 3d and then extending out to the outer edge again.- The strand 6! lies in the shed ab and the strand 62 lies in the shed bc. These strands 6i and 62 are embraced tightly between the strands 63 and 64 which are similarly formed from a single continuous strand and extend inwardly from the outer edge as far as the warp strands 33, being looped around the strands 33 and then extending outwardly again to the outer edge, with the strand 63 in the shed a-b and the strand 64 in the shed bc. 63 and 6d are, in turn, embraced tightly between the strands 65 and 56 which similarly extend from the'outer edge of the material to the warp strands 32 and are looped around the strands 32, the strand 65 lying in the shed a--b and the strand 63 lying in the shed bc. These strands $5 and 36 are, in turn, tightly embraced between the full length strands 36 and 5!, previously mentioned.

The same construction is used all the Way along the curved length of the fabric material, at the junction between each two sheds, as is plainly seen from Fig. 3. The placing of the shorter strands in between the longer strands and in embraced relation thereto results in a construction which is particularly easy to manufacture, as well as having the other advantages already mentioned.

It is seen that in this construction the sheds are relatively large and contain a considerable.- number of weft strands, and also that each shed in each group of warp strands, except the inner-- most group 31, contains weft strands of various different lengths. In other words, each shed in the warp strand group 32 contains not only six of the full length weft strands, but also two of the next shorter weft strands which extend from the outer edge only to the warp 32 and which are looped around the warp strands 32. Likewise, each shed in the next warp group 33 contains six of the full length strands which go These strands all the, way to the inner; selvage edge, andtwo of the next shorter weft strands which go only to the warp strands 32, and two more of the next shorter warp strands which go only as far as the warp strands 33. Likewise the group 35 of warp strands (this being the outermost group of warp strands except for the outer selvage warp strands which are originally woven in the material and then later trimmed 01f) contains, in each shed, six of the full length weft strands, two of the next shorter weft strands which go only as far as the warp strands 32, and two of the next shorter weft strands which go only as far as the warp strands 33, and two of the still shorter weft strands which go only as far as the warp strands 3d.

An alternative form of construction, shown in Figs. 4 to 8, inclusive, embodies the same general principle of embracing each pair of shorter weft strands between a pair of longer weft strands, although in this alternative construction the shed arrangement is quite different and the grouping of the pairs of weft strands is also quite different. From Figs. 4 to 8, which, are essentially diagrammatic in character, it will be seen that the warp strands are arranged in Various groups respectively designated by the numerals Ill! (being the innermost group of warp strands. forming the inner selvage edge) IE2, I63, I84, H35, I06, I61, and IE8. There is, of course, in the initial manufacturing operation, still another group of warp strands forming the outer selvage edge, which are later trimmed off. The sheds in this construction are much smaller, each shed enclosing, for example, only two of the radial or weft strands. Some of the full length weft strands, coming all the way in to the innermost warp strands IBI, are indicated individually for convenience by the numerals I I I to I2 5, inclusive. The weft strand HI, coming radially inwardly, is looped around the warp strands IBI at the inner selvage edge, and thence extends radially outwardly, forming the strand I I2, Similarly the strands H3 and Ht are connected or looped to each other at their inner ends, and the strands I I and I I5 are likewise connected to each other at their inner ends where they are looped around the warp strands IflI, and so on with the other weft strands. But in this instance, only the two weft strands H2 and H3 pass through one shed of the warp strands, while the next two weft strands H4 and H5 pass through the next shed of the warp strands, and the next two weft strands H6 and II? pass through the next shed of the warp strands, and so on.

Some of the shorter weft strands. are. indicated individually by the numerals I30 and I35, inclusive. These weft strands E39 to I35 extend inwardly from the outer edge as far as the warp strands I94. As before, these shorter weft strands are looped around the warp strands at which they terminate, and then extend radially outwardly again, but with this difference from the previous construction, that the two strands which form one loop, instead of lying adjacent each other in adjacent sheds of the warp, are separated a considerable distance from each other and the loops jump over a number of intermediate weft strands as indicated at I35, I37, and 838. For example, the weft strand I3l, after coming from the outer edge in as far as the warp strands I9 5, is looped at I36 across four of the longer weft strands H4, H5, H5, and Hi, and then extends radially outwardly at I32,

alongside of another weft strand I33 ofthe same length, which similarly jumps at I31 over four of the weft strands M8 to I 21', inclusive, and

then extends radially outwardly at I34.

It may be said of this construction, just as of the construction previously described, that the shorter weft strands are arranged in pairs, each pair being embraced on both sides by longer weft strands, since the shorter weft strands I30 and HH may be considered as one pair which are embraced by the longer weft strands H3 and H4, while the shorter weft strands I32 and I33 constitute another pair embraced by the longer weft strands II? and H8. However, in this instance, the two weft strands which constitute one pair are not the two strands which are looped with each other, whereas in the construction shown in Fig. 3 the two weft strands constituting one pair (85 and St, for example) are looped with each other at their inner ends. Similarly, the still shorter weft strands which do not extend even so far inwardly as the warp strand group HM, are arranged in approximately the same way. For example, some of the shorterweft strands are indicated by the numerals I49 to M7, inclusive. These strands extend from the outer edge of the material in to the warp strand group Ifil, where they are looped around the warp strands in a manner to jump over several of the other weft strands, as shown. Thus the short weft strands MI and M2 are connected to each other by the loop I48 which jumps over the full length strands IIZ to II5, inclusive, and also jumps over the intermediate length strands I33 and HI. Likewise, the short weft strands M3 and hid are connected to each other by the loop Me which jumps over the full length strands I It to H9, inclusive, and over the intermediate weft strands I32 and I33. As before, the strands I42 and I l-3 lying next to each other and extending through the same shed of the warp, may be, considered as one pair, and it is seen that they are embraced on both sides by the longer strands H5. and H6. The short strands Hi4 and I45 likewise constitute one pair, extending through the same shed of the warp, and, are tightly embraced between the longer strands I as and I28.

In either form of weave, whether it be that shown in Fig. 3 or that shown in Figs. 4 to 8, inclusive, any desired number of different lengths of strands may be used, depending upon the radial width of the material and the tightness of weave desired. The construction shown in Fig. 3 uses radial weft strands of four different lengths, and the construction shown in Fig. 4 uses radial weft strands of three different lengths, these being given merely as convenient examples. The use of a greater number of different groups of radially spaced warp strands, does not depart from the principles of this invention.

' The strands or filaments used in constructing the fabric may be of any desired kind, either metallic or non-metallic. For example, they may be of fine wires of copper or other suitable metal, or artificial fibers such as rayon or nylon, or natural fibers of either animal or vegetable origin, such as wool, linen, or cotton. In most cases it is preferred to use strands of cotton, either in the form of individual threads, or preferably in the form of tightly twisted cables or cords as indicated in Figs. 3 and 5, each cable being made up usually of three smaller cords'twisted together. It is also preferred in many cases that these cables used in forming the weft strands be impregnated with a suitable adhesive, preferably 7 latex, to tend to hold the individual fibers of the cable more firmly and stifily in place, thus producing a more firm buffing wheel or polishing wheel. When the weft is made up of cables each constituting a plurality of cords twisted together, the body of the wheel is relatively firm and yet the outer ends of the cables will ravel somewhat as indicated diagrammatically in the drawings, resulting in a soft outer working face of the wheel, which is highly desirable.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that the fabric construction here disclosed may be woven on a loom, or may be formed on a knitting machine.

Comparing the two constructions here disclosed with each other and with the construction shown in said United States Patent 1,504,272, it may be said that in both of the present constructions, each pair of two adjacent weft strands of shorter length is tightly embraced on both sides by weft strands of longer length. For example, in the construction shown in Fig. 3, the shorter length weft strands 6i and 32 are embraced by the longer weft strands 63 and 64, and these strands in turn are embraced by the still longer weft strands 65 and E6, and so on. In the other construction shown in Fig. 4, the shorter weft strands I42 and I43 are embraced by the longer weft strands H5 and H6, while the weft strands I32" and I33 are embraced by the longer weft strands H7 and NB. This characteristic is not true, however, of the construction shown in said United States Patent 1,504,272, for in that patent the pair of shorter weft strands 1) lies between the longer weft strands a on one side, and the still shorter weft strands c on the other side, and this same relationship of being adjacent a longer strand on one side and a shorter strand on the other side is true of all of the pairs of weft strands b to f, inclusive, in said patented construction.

Another characteristic of the present constructions which is not found in said prior patent, is that each pair of longer weft strands connected to each other by a loop at their inner ends, has its strands separated from each other throughout at least a part of their length by interposed weft strands of a shorter length. For example, in Fig. 3, the looped pair of strands 45 and Bi,

as well as the looped pair 45 and 52, and the looped pair 44 and 53, each have one member of the pair separated from the other member of the pair by the interposed shorter strands 65 and 56, and the strands 85 and 56, constituting a single looped pair, are separated from each other by the shorter strands 53 and 64. In the other construction, shown in Fig. 4, the strands Hi and H8, for example, constituting one looped pair, are separated from each other by the shorter strands I32 and I33. Also the strands i3: and 532, which are looped together, are separated from each other through part of their length by the interposed shorter strands M2 and H33. This relationship is not true of said prior patent, however, in which each looped pair of strands does not have its members separated from each other by any interposed strands.

Still another characteristic by which the preferred construction shown in Figs. 1-3 of the present drawings differs from the construction in said prior patent, is that in the present construction of Figs. 1-3, there are the same number of sheds in all of the different groups of warp strands, and the corresponding sheds in all the different groups of warp strands ill, 32, 33, etc.,

all open and close at the same time in the manufacturing operation. The difference in circumferential length of the material at different radial distances from the center, is achieved in the preferred construction by varying the number of weft strands at different radially-spaced parts of the shed, rather than by varying the number of sheds at different radially-spaced parts of the material as was done in said prior patent. This preferred construction can be woven much more quickly and economically than a construction such as shown in said prior patent, wherein a greater number of sheds are used in the warp strands near the outer perimeter of the buff than in the warp strands closer to the center of the buff.

In the modified construction shown in Figs. l-8 of the present drawings, a greater number of sheds are used in the warp strands near the outer edge of the buif, than in those closer to the center, and in this respect the construction is similar to that shown in said prior patent, but in other respects the weave is quite difierent as already explained, and the construction of Figs. 4-3 of the present invention can be woven more quickly and economically than that of said prior patent, even though the number of sheds is not the same in all the different groups of warp strands.

It is features or characteristics such as these, which are believed to give the present construction its superiority over the construction disclosed in said United States Patent 1,50%,272, and. which result in the construction of the present invention being more firm and tight and having more body for a given size and weight of wheel, because the weft strands in the present instance are more intimately intertwined and associated with each other than was possible with said prior constructions.

Another advantage of the present constructions over said prior patent is that the present constructions are more easily and more quickly woven, and require less material, than the patented construction. Also the present constructions run cooler in actual use than the patented construction, this being probably due to a fan action induced by the particular weaves herein disclosed. Also the present constructions, because of increased density as compared with the patented construction, have better wearing qualities and better cutting qualities, and hold more abrasive so that less pressure by the operator is required.

As used in the accompanying claims, the words bufi and buiiiing wheel are intended to be interpreted in a broad sense as including a polishing wheel.

It is seen from the foregoing disclosure that the above mentioned objects of the invention are admirabl fulfilled. It is to be understood that the foregoing disclosure is given by way of illustrative examples only, rather than by way of limitation, and that without departing from the invention, the details may be varied within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A buffing wheel having a body formed of a plurality of superimposed layers of fabric material of arcuate shape with substantially concentric arcuate warp strands and withi substantially radial weft strands of a series of different lengths, each weft strand of a length shorter than the longest lying in juxtaposition to another weft strand of the same length on one side and a weft strand of a longer length on the other side.

2. A building wheel having a fabric body formed of a plurality of helically wound convolutions of an arouately woven strip of textile fabric, said strip having a series of radially spaced groups of arcuately extending warp strands having weaving sheds, and a multiplicity of radially extending weft strands with at least two weft strands extending through each shed of the innermost group of warp strands and a progressively greater number of weft strands extending through each shed of each group of warp strands located progressively farther outwardly from said innermost group, one complete circle of said woven 10 strip having in each group of warp strands the same number of sheds as in every other group of warp strands.

CARL F. SCHLEGEL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,368,213 Stewart Feb. 8, 1921 1,504,272 Schlegel Aug. 12, 1924 2,087,693 Lippitt July 20, 1937 

